


Life Just Wears You Down

by WinchesterSecretFiles



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, i'll add more when I write more, i'm not sure, probably major character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-29
Updated: 2013-03-29
Packaged: 2017-12-06 21:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/740564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinchesterSecretFiles/pseuds/WinchesterSecretFiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It started with one hunt, one simple Vampire's Nest. It turned into Jo's worst nightmare, when she has to choose between living the life she's always wanted, or making one up as she goes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Nest

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is really small, sorry. It's more like a preface, I suppose. The next few chapter's will probably be small as well, but when I get into it, I'm sure it'll be longer.

“And you’re planning on killing vampires with what, a toothpick?” Dean laughed at Jo.

Jo rolled her eyes and rolled the nail file between her fingers. “It’s called dead mans blood Dean, look it up.”

Dean grinned and nodded, his eyes showing a thoughtful side. His mouth dropped open and his gaze turned stern when he realized her plan. “You’re not planning on being bait are you?”

“Not just planning on it Dean, I’m doing it.” She replied stubbornly.

“You want to walk right into a nest and – and what?” Dean asked, at a loss for words.

“And get you guys to walk through the front door.” Jo spoke calmly. “It’ll work.”

*

“Eurgh,” Jo grunted as the final vampire on the first floor fell to her feet. She stepped over him and the countless others as she opened the door for the Winchester’s. They stepped in silently, acknowledging the damage. Jo noted the knives they gripped. “Bring me one?” she asked.

“No, you’re done here.” Dean pushed past her, standing over a fallen body.

“Are you joking?!” Jo asked incredulously.

“Nice outfit by the way,” Dean looked over his shoulder and smirked. “But there’s no way in Hell a girl in a Tinkerbell nightgown is going to take down a nest.”

“I took out the entire first floor, and you’re never going to make it to the second without me.” Jo spoke quickly, becoming angrier by the minute.

“She kind of has a point Dean,” Sam finally spoke up. “There are a lot of vamps down here. We’re never gonna get to them all and the second floor without her.”

Dean sighed heavily, clearly annoyed but nonetheless outnumbered. He threw Jo his machete and took another from his knapsack. “Let’s behead some bitches Tink.”

Jo nodded and the three worked silently, the only noise heard was the gurgling sound of blood spurting out from the decapitated. “I’m going to head upstairs now. Stay down here until I call,” Jo instructed, trading her knife for her ‘toothpick’. She started jogging up the stairs before stopping and turning around. “Good luck,” she whispered and continued.

*

When she reached the second level she started screaming, running through the hall banging on doors. “Help!” She sobbed, her knuckles bruised from the force she was exerting. Behind her, a door opened and out stepped a man.

“Can I help you miss?” he asked politely.

“Yes!” Jo stumbled closer, tears affecting her vision. “I-I was in the woods, and I thought someone was chasing me. I ran, and I saw this house, and I heard screaming. I don’t know why I’d run to a screaming house but I did. I let myself in, it was open-“

The man stopped her there. “And no one took care of you downstairs?”

His words gave Jo the chills but she remained in character. Choking out a sob, she shook her head. “They’re all dead,” She screamed.

Alarmed, the man brushed past Jo and opened it’s mouth when a little slice of Jo’s nail file put him down.

From behind a slow, startling clap started. “Impressive party trick,” He said, nothing but his eyes glowing in the encompassing darkness. “Don’t worry darling,” he said, stepping from the shadows. “No one here but us. And him,” He jerked his head in the direction of the unconscious body at Jo’s feet.

Jo lunged for the Vampire but too quickly he had his hands around her neck. Her feet lifted off the floor and she kicked, gasping for air. “Tsk, tsk,” He chastised. “I don’t like party tricks.” He laughed at his own joke for a moment before tightening his grip and asking “Any last words?”

“….Dean…” She choked out, unable to do more than whisper.

“Dean, is that a boyfriend?” the vampire inquired.

“No…” Jo wheezed, “Little….sister…”

“You love your big brother?” The vampire grinned. “Scandalous.” He watched Jo struggle for seconds longer before his eyes lit up. “No! He just treats you like a little sister. Oh, that’s worse isn’t it?” He sympathized mockingly.

“Savior,” Jo spat, disliking the one sided conversation.

*

From downstairs Dean paced. “It’s too quiet up there man, I don’t know.”

“She told us she’d tell us when she’s done,” Sam reminded Dean.

Dean shook his head. “Something’s not right Sam,” He said as he took off up the flight of stairs.

*

Back in the dark, Jo and the Vampire’s conversation continued. “You know, there is no such thing as a white knight in shining armor,” the vampire told her.

“No,” Jo agreed, rasping and yet, smiling. Confused, the Vampire waited. “Bloody boy…..with machete.”

Alarmed the Vampire turned around, dropping Jo but it was too late. Dean took one meticulous, precise swing and Jo saw the head fly across the room before passing out.


	2. Recuperation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of fluff. I don't know, here ya go.

When Jo awoke she found herself feeling jarred from up and down motions. She realized she was lying down in the backseat of the moving impala. She saw Dean staring at her in the rearview mirror.

“Sammy, she’s awake,” he told his brother as he refocused on the road. Sam turned around and smiled at Jo.

“Good to have you with us,” he told her. He stared at her for a few moments longer, and explained. “You look really pale. Why don’t you sleep for a little while longer so you can get your strength back?” He nodded, reassuring his own advice.

Dean’s eyes flickered up to the mirror as he looked at Jo again. She did look dangerously pale and he hoped Sam’s advice of sleeping more would prove true. Jo caught Dean staring at her, and when he realized he was found out he started drumming on his steering wheel and focusing on the dark asphalt ahead of them. Jo closed her heavy lidded eyes and attempted to snuggle into the leather.

*

When Jo awoke for the second time, she found herself on a musty couch that smelled like old whiskey. She was at Bobby Singer’s, she realized. She sat up quickly, and then found out that she was really dizzy. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness as she looked around, first into the kitchen. She saw Sam fast asleep in a hard chair, slumped over his dimply glowing laptop. She smiled fondly and looked at the opposite side of the room she was in. In front of her, Dean had dragged a hard kitchen chair into the living room and was currently quietly snoring in it.

Not wanting to be alone, but not wanting to wake any of the boys who deserved sleep, and not wanting to seem like she couldn’t handle her own recuperation; she called out Dean’s name in a voice no louder than a whisper. He didn’t wake, didn’t even budge, not that she expected him too. She took the scratchy quilt off of her legs and wrapped it around her shoulders.

She quietly got off the couch, a few old springs groaning in protest but it was otherwise silent. She tiptoed across the room to Dean’s chair, where she dropped to her knees. She looked up at her savior and wondered if she’d ever be able to handle herself on a hunt.

One of Dean’s eyes lazily opened and he looked right at the couch. Realizing Jo was missing from it, both eyes shot open and he bolted upright. He looked around the room frantically before realizing she was right at his feet. “What the hell are you doing?” He asked her, irritation prominent in his voice.

“I didn’t want to be alone,” she explained.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked, nothing but sheer exhaustion being heard now.

“I knew you needed sleep,” She answered matter-of-factly. She also thought that she didn’t want Dean to know how scared she was. She sat next to him thoughtfully for a moment before a new question dawned on her. “What time is it?”

“Uh, late. Or early. You slept all day.” He mumbled, closing his eyes.

“Oh,” she remarked, playing with the itchy fabric between her fingers. That’s when she realized she was not in the same clothes as she was on the hunt. “Dean,” She said in a warning tone.

“What?” he asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

“Who changed me?”

“What?” He demanded, fully awake now. He just assumed Jo was talking about the hunt from earlier. “Why, did you get bit?”

“No, no,” Jo cleared up her statement. “I mean, who changed my clothes?”

“Oh,” he said, calming down again. “You did, don’t you remember?” Jo shook her head. “Yeah, we pulled up at Casa de Bobby’s and you woke up. Managed to convince us we didn’t need to call your mom by getting yourself changed. Bobby was doubtful, but he wasn’t about to call Ellen unless he had to.”

It was eerie how Jo could imagine herself doing all those things, and could picture it too, but had absolutely no recollection of having done it. “I made you change in the same room as me though, in case you fell I didn’t want you to be locked in a bathroom or something.” Jo’s mouth fell open, but Dean continued. “Don’t worry, I was a perfect gentleman. You made me turn around and repeatedly shouted ‘Don’t look, don’t look!’” Sure, Dean was making fun of her and he was most likely telling the truth, but Jo didn’t care. She was just happy he hadn’t seen her naked. 

They sat in silence for a few more moments and when Dean realized she had nothing else to say, he asked if he could finally go to sleep. Jo nodded, picking herself up from the ground and moving back on to the couch. She watched Dean in the darkness until he spoke again. “Please let me sleep Jo. I need four hours.”

“Sorry,” she apologized, lying down and curling into a ball. Sighing, Dean wordlessly stood up, picked up the chair and brought it directly in front of the couch, where he rested his feet on the empty side of the couch and slumped down. Happy that Dean was finally closer, Jo hunkered down for real and shut her eyes. Content that Jo was okay, and not in need of assistance, Dean grinned before shutting his own eyes and getting some rest.


	3. The Case Found Us

Sam shot upright when he heard the clattering of plate drop on the table in front of him. His long legs stretched out and knocked into the chair opposite him. “Rise and shine boys,” Jo called, placing another plate on the kitchen table. Sam smiled kindly when he saw that eggs, bacon, and sausage were all laid out in front of him, still steaming.

Bobby, hearing the racket tramped down the stairs yelling, “What in the hell is going on down here?” He paused when he saw Jo before breaking out into an enormous grin. He walked into the living room and shook his lazy son awake.

Dean barely opened his eyes before growling “What?”

“Food’s out,” Jo called happily from the kitchen. She stood, basking in the sunlight coming through Bobby’s dingy windows, with her hands proudly placed on her hips.

“Ya idjit,” Bobby mumbled to Dean, helping the boy up. Dean gave Bobby a look and followed him to the kitchen table where they both sat, Dean across from Sam and Bobby between them.

“You aren’t going to sit?” Dean asked, his mouth full of eggs. He looked up at Jo expectantly, but she shook her head.

“I’ve stayed still long enough,” She explained, rocking on her feet and clapping her hands. She watched the boys stuff their faces, a proud smile resting on her face. Dean shook his head at the idea of wasting food, and continued shoveling in the eggs, picking up a strip of bacon and stuffing it in as well.

Bobby shook his head at his adopted son with amused disgust, while Sam chuckled silently, taking a sip of his coffee. “Kid, you better learn to chew with our mouth closed,” Bobby yelled gruffly, but couldn’t contain his slight smile.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean mumbled back, ripping the strip of bacon between his gleaming teeth. Finishing their food, they sat back in their chairs and enjoyed each other’s silent company. Anxiously Jo sipped the coffee she poured herself and waited for someone to say something.

“Will you sit down?” Bobby finally asked the blonde, watching her pace back and forth in his tiny, cluttered kitchen. 

“Sorry,” she apologized, pulling out the chair and sitting down in it. “How’d you guys sleep?” she finally asked.

“Like a baby,” Bobby offered.

“A little sore,” Sam digressed, rubbing the back of his neck. He had fallen asleep in the hard chair, slumped over his computer like he did many nights.

Dean didn’t answer, his eyes just flickered up to Jo’s as he offered her a small, knowing smile. She blushed and looked down, hoping no one else noticed. “Well, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“You’re looking to go another round?” Dean asked, a perplexed look on his face. It was intrigued as well, he couldn’t quite figure out this girl, the way she went looking for a fight, they way she thought, the way she couldn’t quite manage herself but still got caught up in the circle.

“Hell yeah I am,” She agreed, tapping the table with her palm for emphasis.

Two Hours Later

“Dean! Answer your phone!” Jo screamed into the mouthpiece, eyes scanning the road avidly. “I think- I think the case found us. I’m pretty sure it’s a—“

That’s all that was left on Dean’s voicemail. “Damn it Jo,” Dean yelled, shutting his phone and throwing it across the room. “Sam!” Dean shouted for his brother.

“Yeah?” Sam asked, his head poking in the doorway from another room.

“It’s Jo,” Dean answered, rubbing his forehead with his hand. “She – she says a case found her. And then, there was just silence. A scream and silence.”

Sam eyes Dean carefully, and then calls for Bobby. When Bobby joins the boys in the living room, they huddle around Dean’s cell phone, listening again to Jo’s message.

With Jo Harvelle

“Looks like you’ll be bait for the boys,” a voice spoke and you could practically hear the smirk on its lips. An unconscious, strung up Jo didn’t reply. “What, jinn got your tongue?” The voice laughed at it’s own joke and stroked Jo’s hair. “Don’t worry, you’ll be perfectly safe inside your wish, well, until you die.” The jinn removed her hand, and stepped away from Jo.

“Dean?” Jo asked, coming to in an unfamiliar bed. Someone next to her went ‘mmm’ in return. Gasping, Jo sat up straighter and pulled the sheet around her.

“What?” the voice finally asked, rolling over lazily. Its green eyes peeked out from his eyelashes, looking back at Jo.

“Dean?” Jo asked again, shocked.

Propping himself up on an elbow, Dean smiled. “Jo?” He replied.

“Wh- Where?” Jo muttered, thoughts swirling around her. So this was her wish, she mused, knowing what jinn’s did.

“Where what?” Dean asked, pressing his mouth against Jo’s bare arm. He stays there for a few moments before placing a kiss and pulling away.

Jo shakes her head and stands up, putting some distance between her and this alter-Dean. “Where did we meet?” her voice dripping with suspicion.

Dean laughed, “Isn’t it a little early for a pop quiz?” He sighed and relented, “The Roadhouse, I walked in and you almost took me out with a dart. This close,” he reminds her, putting his thumb and his forefinger marginally apart. “Sexy as hell, by the way.”

Jo shook her head. No, this wasn’t how they met. Jo had a shotgun pressed up his back on their first encounter.

“No what?” Dean asked, not waiting for an answer. “I pulled the dart out of the board, and took a shot myself. Pretty damn close. But you shot one more, bulls eyed the shit out of that thing.”

Jo continued to shake her head: Wrong again, she thought. You managed to grab the gun from my hands, but I punched you and got it back.

“What?” Dean asked, a confused smile playing out on his face. “I called Sam over to see, but he was busy. Talking to your mom, actually. Your mom knew our dad, and you walked over to her.”

Jo stopped shaking her head to quit confusing Dean, but she still analyzed everything he said. He was so close to the truth. You called for Sam to help, saying you were blind. He said he was a little tied up at the moment; my mom had a gun to his head. But then she figured out you were Sam and Dean Winchester, and all was forgiven.

“Ellen introduced herself, saying she knew John, then she introduced you too. I asked you ‘You’re not gonna kick my ass again, are you?’” Dean finished, cocking his head towards Jo. When Jo remained quiet, Dean asked, “What, you want the whole night?

“Sam and Ellen kept talking, but you moved to wait some tables. I followed, asked you how you got a job in a place like this. You told me your dad owned the joint, ran it with your mom. Then you said –“

Sorry about your dad, Jo thought, but that wasn’t what Dean said next.

“Then you said, ‘sorry our dad’s got in a fight’. And I went ‘yeah, well’ ‘cause I don’t like talking about much. Then I went off mentioning I had so many hours left in this town, and we should uh,” Dean paused, blushing to think of how crude he’d been.

Jo bristled, remembering Dean’s offer then retracement. It seems in this universe Dean never retracted the offer.

“I acted the way any other of your previous boyfriends would’ve,” Dean admitted. “Pizza, six-pack, and side one of zeppelin four. But when it came right down to it, I couldn’t do it. Didn’t want to be another scumbag.

“Then it was the next day, Sam and I came to say our goodbyes. It was the three of us, sitting on the stools. Sam got up, muttering something like ‘Oh yeah, I should go, over there, right now.’ And I just kinda shook my head, ‘cause what a Sam thing to do, you know? And you cleared your throat and said ‘So?’ and I repeated you. You asked if you were going to see me again, and I asked ‘Do you want to?’ You told me you wouldn’t hate it with those lips pursed. I made some noncommittal noise, nodded.

“I said, normally I had no problem getting women, I’d be hitting on you so fast your head would spin. But this time was different. You said—“

“Wrong place, wrong time?” Jo interrupted, talking for nearly the first time that morning.

Dean just looked up at her, funny smile placed on his lips. “What? No! You said, ‘But I’m different?’ But we were interrupted, and then Sam and I had to leave. The rest is history.”

Jo nodded, biting her lip. She tried to process the information, slowly allowing once piece of information to soak in at a time. So Dean and Jo, in this universe it seemed, were the right place, right time. “Your dad is- is alive?”

Surprised, Dean looks up. “Yeah,” he says, like he can’t quite imagine why he wouldn’t be.

“A-and my dad? He’s alive too?” Jo asks, sitting back down.

“As far as I know,” Dean says slowly, becoming increasingly more confused. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing. I gotta go,” Jo says, jumping up and running to the door.

“Jo wait!” Dean calls, stopping Jo short. She turns around and pokes her head in the door, too preoccupied to come all the way in. “Put clothes on if you’re going out.” He tells her with a smile. Jo looks down and finds herself in a pair of Dean’s boxer briefs and a cami. She blushes, and walks in the room riffling through some drawers. “Unless you’re planning on wearing my things, your stuff is in the closet.” Jo shuts the door, her blush growing. She turns to the closet and swings them open, looking at her jeans and tee shirts. “Although I wouldn’t mind seeing you in my clothes,” he says, coming behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck.

Surprised with the sudden contact, Jo drops her arms from her clothes and goes rigid. “Get out,” she laughs, pushing him away. He obliges, walking into their bathroom. Jo grabs a pair of jeans, and shimmies them on over Dean’s underwear. She throws on a brown tee shirt over her cami, and taps on the bathroom door lightly. “Going out. I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah,” Dean hollers over the spray of the shower. “We have plans tonight, don’t forget. You’re kinda spacey today.”

“Oh?” Jo comments, having absolutely no idea what Dean was referring to. “What uh, what are we doing again?” She asks noncommittally.

“Sam and Jess, they said they wanted to talk to us,” Dean shouted again, and it was exclaimed with a soft thud.

“You okay?” Jo asked, pausing at the door. She really wanted to get out of here, but with Dean not being … Dean, she felt like she was leaving him vulnerable.

“Babe, I’m fine,” Dean laughed. “I just dropped the bottle.” Jo nodded uneasily and slipped out of the doorway, grabbing her car keys on the way out.


End file.
